Vision in White: Ceremony Welcomes Class of 2020

The Class of 2020 poses for a group selfie at White Coat Ceremony.

First-year students were officially welcomed to the medical profession at last month’s White Coat Ceremony, which marks their new role as caregivers.

As she greeted the Class of 2020, Dean Cecile A. Feldman remarked on their impressive name. “It sounds like perfect eyesight, so we must have selected a perfect class,’’ she joked.

The tradition of distributing white coats to first-year students, stitched with their name, started over a decade ago at RSDM, but has been a mainstay for medical students for many years. “The white coat is a symbol of knowledge, trust, respect and tradition,’’ Dean Feldman explained. “It stands for the responsibility to educate, to be a leader and to give back.’’

The keynote speaker was Dr. Lily Garcia, an Associate Dean of Education at Iowa University College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics. She invited students to reflect on their choice to start dental school and the duties that come with it. “We each have a story that brought us to this room,’’ said Garcia. “You’ll learn to help people feel good about themselves, to recognize that their oral health as part of their overall health. Dentistry is as up close and personal as human contact can be. That’s why our standards are so high. You must push yourself to do your best.”

Dr. Garcia closed her speech by quoting rapper Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,’’ which exhorts listeners to seize key moments in life to shine and better themselves.

Class of 2016 president Peter Paradiso also spoke at the ceremony, urging students to value their relationships with each other. “The faces to your right and left, the students sitting all around you, will soon become your family and your tribe,'' he said. "They have the same passion for dentistry that you do. Enjoy your time together, learn together and support each other.’’

At the ceremony, two honors were awarded: the Student Professionalism Award, which went to fourth-year student Mary Thompson, and the Faculty Professionalism award, bestowed upon Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs Jeanette DeCastro, who will retire October 1.